Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Vegetarian Delights and Beautiful University of Penn Campus

The University of Pennsylvania, created in the mid-1700s by Benjamin Franklin, is a gorgeous tree-lined campus. We took the 1.5 hour prospective student tour, ascertained all the pertinent information needed for undergraduate studies and enjoyed seeing all the lovely buildings/artwork. It’s definitely worth a walk around the campus even if you’re not college shopping. There’s a self-guided walking tour.

College Hall, built in 1872 and Ben Franklin Statue. The building was the inspiration of Penn alumnus Charles Addams for the Addams Family mansion.

Big White Button. The crack in the button represents the Schuylkill River which runs through Philadelphia. When you’re at the button, you’re in the middle of College Green and according to our tour guide, classmates use the Button as a meet-up point ~ “meet me at the button” is said a lot.

Hands Gate ~ notice the additional one?

Another beautiful campus building

Colorful LOVE

Archway at UPenn

While in Philadelphia, I highly recommend two restaurants. But, be forewarned, they are absolutely delicious, but Vegan:

Verge is an innovative, delicious tapas-style restaurant located at 1221 Locust Street in City Center. It’s only open for dinner and is very popular so reservations are highly recommended. We went early and snagged a table next to the kitchen. Not ideal but it was actually fun to watch all the staff. I was very tempted to have dessert but my two tapas selections were too filling. For two of us, we had two selections each and a glass of wine. In addition to the yummy menu selections, service was outstanding! Our bill (without tip) came to $81.00.

Spicy Tofu

Golden Beets ~ my favorite plate of the evening!

Our view from our table. Be sure to make reservations for a better location!

Vegetate is located near UPenn and Drexel at 3210 Chestnut and is a great place to have a quick and inexpensive lunch. I recommend the Vegatacos, a smoothie and a sweet potato cupcake ~ Delish!

We stayed at the Inn at Penn (Hilton) which is adjacent to the University of Penn. It was an ideal location for college tours. Since it was only $2.50, we hopped on Bus 21 when we went into City Center. We rode the bus four times and each time I was very impressed with the friendly and extremely helpful bus drivers. On every trip, I witnessed the drivers going out of their way to help elderly passengers with walkers or wheelchairs. The drivers made sure those passengers were comfortable and safe. It was heartwarming to see the true meaning of Brotherly Love.

13 Responses

Sorry for the late response, I am waaaay behind in my Reader time. Penn looks like a great campus, haven’t been over there on previous trips to Philadelphia, but your post makes it look like I should include it in the next visit. Hope your daughter gets the Acceptance Letter she wants the most.

Hi, Patti! UPenn – wow! Your daughter must be a very strong student to have this wonderful school in her sites 🙂 Your post brought back all the memories of the school trips my daughter and I made last year. And it’s a nice coincidence that, as I was reading it, she and I are at her college orientation session! I can’t deny that it’s wonderful being on the other side of the process. Best of luck to your daughter! And thanks for sharing your trip 🙂

Hi Stacy ~ Even though she’s a strong student who has challenged herself with AP classes and extracurricular activities, Penn is a reach school. She’s definitely a much better student than I ever was ~ I can honestly say I had a lot of FUN in high school 😉

Best wishes to your daughter on her college adventure. I know what you mean about wanting to be on the “other side” ~ but I’m dreading the empty nest. It’ll no doubt be bittersweet. I’ll be proud but sad.

Oh, I hear you about bittersweet, Patti. Our countdown to empty nesting is now down to weeks. New beginnings for all. As for fun in high school? Yup! And the associated college search? I don’t remember APs or even taking the ACT. I saw a few schools in and around my home state of Michigan, traveling with friends, but that was it. Such an incredibly different (and much more involved and difficult) process today!

How fun! “meet me at the button” makes me smile.
What a gorgeous campus! Thanks for the introduction. The stone reminds me a little bit of the Virginia Tech Hokie Stone. There is just something so beautiful about stone buildings.
So … will your daughter choose Penn? 🙂

The question is “will Penn choose her?” Their acceptance rate is 9.9% which means a lot of “worthy” applicants are denied.
The light rain made the stone buildings even more beautiful. I always prefer to take photos when it’s cloudy/light rain.